Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Styles the MB&F; M.A.D. 1
The first limited edition from MB&F;’s affordable sub-brand is the M.A.D.1 “Time to Love”, created in collaboration with French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, also known as JC/DC. A variant of the standard model endowed with Mr de Castelbajac’s touch – including numerals in his handwriting – the M.A.D.1 “Time to Love” is a 999-piece edition that will be sold via an online raffle. A designer whose heyday in the 1970s and 1980s saw him collaborate with brands like from Swatch and design a coat made of teddy bears for Madonna, Mr de Castelbajac was most recently artistic director for Benetton. The M.A.D.1 “Time to Love” reflects his trademark colourful and whimsical style. Initial thoughts Conceptually and aesthetically, the M.A.D.1 “Time to Love” makes sense. Mr de Castelbajac’s style complements M.A.D. Editions’s affordable, fun brand of watchmaking, making this the most interesting M.A.D.1 edition to date. The fact that it’s a relatively small run of 999 pieces and priced almost the same as the regular version enhances the appeal. More broadly, the collaboration also chimes with parent brand MB&F;’s retro-nostalgia philosophy, where many of its creations are inspired by founder Maximilian Büsser’s youth. According to the brand, “the young Maximilian Büsser was a huge fan, saving up his pocket money for one of the designer’s bathing suits featuring pandas on it”, when Mr de Castelbajac’s brand was at its peak in the ...